System and method for reproducing works of authorship

ABSTRACT

In a method for reproducing an original copy of a work of authorship, processing information received from a data input device relating to authentication of the original copy of the work of authorship, identifying information in a database corresponding to the information received from the data input device, determining whether an authorization for reproduction of the work of authorship should be granted, and if authorization is granted, reproducing the work of authorship.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/393,644 filed Mar. 21, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/367,300, filed Mar. 25, 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a business method for shifting,changing, reproducing and exchanging the physical embodiments of(copyrighted and uncopyrighted) works of authorship, including, forexample, musical works, photographic works, cinematographic and videoworks, multimedia works, software works. More particularly, the businessmethod according to the present invention provides for generating arevenue stream from the transfer or reproduction of a work from a firstphysical medium to or in a second physical medium, that can be the same,similar to or different than the first physical medium, and/or fromissuing risk protection to the purchasers of a work in a physicalmedium.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The continual movement and development of technology has affected manybusinesses as well as consumers. As technology develops, products andolder technologies become outdated, outmoded, obsolete and phased outover time. Often older technologies become unsupported due to the lackof availability of products for implementing or utilizing thosetechnologies and/or with respect to the availability of replacementparts for the products. For example, in the 1970s 8-Track music playerswere very popular and many consumers purchased 8-Track players and8-Track tapes. By the mid-1980s virtually all sources of 8-Track tapes(except for the used market) had vanished and no companies weremanufacturing or selling 8-Track players any longer. However, manyconsumers who had collections of 8-Track tapes were left with norecourse upon breakage or damage to their 8-Track players. Thoseconsumers had no recourse but to purchase entirely new music collectionsor, if lucky enough, to transfer their 8-Track collections to adifferent format, such as cassette tape prior to damage to their 8-Trackplayers.

The extinction of the media formats for works of authorship, forexample, 8-Track, and other formats placed and places an unfair burdenon consumers who have already paid for certain rights in the work ofauthorship contained in or on the purchased medium. The consumerpurchasing a work of authorship, irrespective of the type of medium, hasalready paid for many rights, including, for example, artist royalties,producer royalties, writer royalties, and mechanical royalties and forthe record company marketing costs. Upon obsolescence of a particularmedium or technology, such as, for example, 8-Track, the consumer afterpaying for all of the rights, including those relating to copyrights, isleft with a copy of the work in or on a particular medium for which theconsumer paid, but no method for accessing that work. The same is truein other situations where there may be no issues of obsolescence. Forexample, with respect to a copy of a work where the medium is damagedand the consumer has no way of properly accessing the work or accessingthe work in its undamaged state or unadulterated manner, there should bea way for the owner to access the work. Also, in the situation where theowner purchases a new media device, such as, for example, a MP3 player,or wishes to utilize or have access to the work in a different format ordifferent location other than the original copy or the original medium,such as, for example, on a computer, PDA or other portable or stationarydevice, the owner should be able to utilize or access the work.Additionally, where a consumer wants to create a backup copy of a workfor archival purposes, while the costs for CD or DVD burners havedecreased over time, there is still the need for a computer, which manypeople do not have, to allow reproductions of CDs or DVDs.

Since the rights holders in works of authorship have a legitimateinterest in ensuring that they are properly remunerated by parties thatdesire to have access to their works, it is important that any copyingor reproducing of such works or authorship be accomplished legitimatelyand only for allowable purposes, such as archival/backup of the originalcopy of the work, for purposes of time shifting or for purposes ofhaving unfettered access to the work, e.g., in a different format, forexample copying from CD to cassette.

However, once the medium in which a work is stored is damaged there isno method for transferring the work to the same or different type ofmedium so as to preserve the copy or embodiment of the work purchased bythe consumer. Additionally, there is no method for allowing the consumeraccess to the purchased work, while ensuring that the rights holders'interests in the works are adequately protected, for example, byreceiving compensation for access to their works.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a business method for ensuring that afterdamage to or obsolescence of the medium in which a work of authorship isstored, after a decision is made to utilize a different medium to storeor access the work, where a backup copy of a work is desired or for anyother reason, the work can be reproduced in or on the same or differenttype of medium, thereby allowing access to the work by the purchaserwithout having to repay for the same rights that have already been paidfor. The present invention also provides a business method for allowingreproduction of a copy of a work of authorship while ensuring that theprior existence of a copy of the work of authorship is being verified orthat a copy of the work of authorship has previously been obtained froman authorized source, thereby ensuring that the holders of rights in thework have been previously compensated for the work. The presentinvention also provides a system and method for reproducing ortransferring a work of authorship in or onto a different medium andpreventing access to the original medium after such reproduction. Thepresent invention also provides a business method for financiallysecuring or safeguarding, or hedging against risk of damage or loss ofcopies of works of authorship, and particularly copies of works ofauthorship stored on CDs, DVDs, Videos, cassettes and other storagemedia.

The business method, and the system and method according to the presentinvention allow a party that has purchased a copy of a work ofauthorship, for example, a music recording, such as a CD, to replace orcreate an additional copy of the work, for example, when it becomesdamaged, when the party wishes to have access to the work of authorshipin or on a different medium, for backup purposes or for any otherreason. For example, if a consumer purchases a CD and a few months laterthe CD becomes damaged, for example, it becomes scratched, prior to thisinvention, the consumer would have to purchase a new copy of the CD,repaying for all of the rights previously paid for, including writerroyalties, artist royalties, mechanical royalties, etc. According to thepresent invention, the consumer may obtain a reproduction copy of thework on CD either at the time of purchase or at a later point in timefor a reduced cost which would reflect the previously paid for rights.This can be accomplished at the time of purchase or later beascertaining that the consumer either purchased the work of authorshipor currently has a copy, for example, a CD, of the work of authorship.Although the original copy is damaged, the same work of authorship canbe reproduced either through the use of a high quality system that isable to reproduce the work from the original medium and remove or bypassthe damages, or by copying from an undamaged copy of the same work ofauthorship.

The business method, and the system and method according to the presentinvention may provide for verification that the consumer has a copy ofthe work of authorship. This can be accomplished through the use of amanual or automatic verifier, such as, for example, in the case of a CD,a CD player that can read the coding on the CD to determine whether theCD is a legitimate copy, what songs are on the CD (the artist and album)and when and by whom the CD was manufactured. Additionally, new types ofcoding, including, for example, digital, electronic, visual, audio,etc., may be placed on CDs to identify various types of information andto ensure that the copy is legitimate.

Alternatively and/or additionally, the consumer May present, manually orautomatically, information verifying that the copy was legitimatelyobtained, including, for example, purchase verification, via receipt,smart card, etc. Such verification along with presentation of theoriginal copy of the work would provide the necessary information toallow reproduction of the work.

In certain situations, as a way of preventing a consumer from retainingthe original copy of the work of authorship or obtaining more than onecopy of the work of authorship to replace the damaged copy, furtheraccess to the work on the original copy would need to be prevented. Thiscould be accomplished, for example, by placing an electronic or manualblock on the copy, by placing coding on the copy that indicates that ithas already been replaced or by destroying or confiscating the originalcopy of the work of authorship.

The original copy may be destroyed, for example, by passing it to adevice after copying and/or verification that crushes, scratches, meltsor otherwise permanently interferes with access by a consumer to thework embodied within or on that medium, or access to the work may beprevented by a blocking mechanism, such as, for example, passwordprotection, coding, encryption, etc.

The reproduction of the work of authorship can be accomplished using thesame medium that stored the original copy of the work or authorship. Forexample, if the original copy of the work of authorship was embodied ona compact disc, the reproduction can also be embodied on a compact disc.This can be achieved by copying the work onto or into a temporarystorage device (RAM) or computer memory and downloading from the RAM orcomputer memory onto a compact disc. Alternatively, the work may betransferred directly from one compact disc to the other or stored in atemporary location for transfer to a different compact disc. The workmay also be transferred from a database containing a copy of the work orfrom another copy of the work.

The reproduction of the work of authorship may be accomplished by usinga different medium than used to store the original copy of the work ofauthorship. For example, if the original work of authorship was embodiedon a phonorecord, the reproduction can be embodied on a compact disc.This can be achieved by copying the work onto or into a temporarystorage device (RAM) or computer memory and downloading from the RAM orcomputer memory onto a compact disc. Alternatively, the work may betransferred directly from the phonorecord to the compact disc or storedin a temporary location for transfer to the compact disc.

In situations where the original medium in which the work of authorshipis damaged such that the work of authorship is unaccessible, forexample, scratched, warped, melted or cracked, in place of transferringthe work of authorship directly (or indirectly) from the original mediumto a second medium (the same or different), the work of authorship maybe reproduced or copied from a different copy of the work of authorshipobtained from an identical medium and stored, for example, in a databaseor in computer memory, or it may be reproduced or copied from adifferent copy of the work of authorship stored, for example, in a localor remote database, or downloaded via the Internet from the publisher orfrom some other source.

The reproduction of a work of authorship may be accomplished utilizing asystem comprising a microprocessor or some other controller or controldevice, a data reader or reading device, such as, for example, a CDplayer, a DVD player, a cassette player, a phonograph, or a VCR, etc., adata recorder or recording device, such as, for example, a CD-RW drive,DVD-RW drive, cassette recorder, or a software program for recordingdigitally to a memory device, such as, for example, a RAM, a PROM,EEPROM, SmartMedia Card, Compact Media Card, or flash memory, and adestruction or access blocking device, such as, for example, a crushingor scratching device, or a coding or encryption device. The system mayalso comprise a storage device (temporary or long term), such as, forexample, RAM, ROM, hard drive, optical drive, tape drive, CD, DVD,cassette, flash memory, etc, and/or a data input device, such as, forexample, a keyboard, scanner, bar code reader, smart card reader,biometric device, or any other device for entering information about atransaction or customer.

Information relating to each transaction, including, for example,information relating to the work of authorship, the customer, temporalinformation and financial information, may be stored in memory or may besent to a local or remote storage location (as close as, for example, aseparate memory device in the same black-box or a different portion ofthe same memory). This information may be used for later verificationfor allowing a reproduction of a work of authorship or for purposes ofmarketing/promotion/advertising. The system may require the customer toview information or respond to queries during the time that thereproduction is being accomplished, in exchange for a reduced fee or nofee for the reproduction, or in exchange for permitting use of thesystem. The information stored on the original medium, the new mediumand/or memory, including historical information, information relating tothe work of authorship, data regarding viewed information, and collectedinformation may be transferred or transmitted immediately to a remotelocation or may be stored for later transfer or transmission.Additionally, this information may be transferred to the owner of thework of authorship or the owner of the rights in the work of authorshipin exchange for the right to reproduce the work of authorship.

The business method, and the system and method according to the presentinvention can be accomplished by verifying that the medium beingdelivered to the system for reproduction includes an authentic copy ofthe work of authorship or that a copy of the work of authorship waspurchased by the customer. Upon verification the work may be reproducedon the same or a different medium either using the copy embodied on theoriginal medium, or using a copy obtained from a different medium. Uponreproduction of the work of authorship, the original medium may bedestroyed or access may be blocked (temporarily or permanently).

The new embodiment of the work of authorship may be labeled or imprintedwith the relevant information regarding the work. For a musical workthis may include, for example, the title of the work, the writer, theperformer, the publisher, length, etc. Alternatively, labels may beprepared which can be affixed to the embodiment of the work ofauthorship. The new embodiment of the work of authorship may also bedispensed with a case, and inserts that identify the work. For example,for an embodiment of the work of authorship on CD, there may be insertsprinted for the work that include all or some of the information asincluded in CDs that are sold in retail establishments. These CDembodiments may be dispensed in the same type of jewel case used for CDssold in retail establishments. In the case of backup copies, the workcould be sealed in shrink wrap for extra protection, and there would beno need for the inserts or same type of packaging used for the originalcopy, although purchase of such packaging could be an additional optionoffered to the customer. The customer would pay an additional fee forthe backup copy, that could be a reduced amount compared to the fee forthe original copy.

The method according to the present invention for financially securingor safeguarding copies of works of authorship, and particularly copiesof works of authorship stored on CDs, DVDs, Videos, cassettes and otherstorage media may be accomplished by providing for an additional paymentby the purchaser at the time of purchasing the copy of the work ofauthorship. This payment is used to remunerate the author of the workand the owner of the original embodiment of the work from which theoriginal reproductions were made, or to provide cover for the riskundertaken by the supplier of the copy of the work of authorship. Thisremuneration allows the owner of the rights to provide an additional orreplacement copy or the right for the purchaser to make a copy of thesame work for a lower price than originally obtained or paid, as aresult of the need for payment for fewer than all of the rightsoriginally paid for. The availability of cover allows the supplier ofthe copy of the work of authorship to hedge, protect or insure against aloss resulting from the obligation to provide a replacement copy of thework of authorship, and allows the purchaser to hedge or cover againstthe risk of damage or loss. The amounts that would be charged thepurchaser may be calculated based on actuarial tables or statisticalinformation relating to the numbers of copies of works of authorshipthat are damaged compared to the total purchases, or some otherstatistical information, including the number of purchasers that wouldbe likely to take advantage of such a risk protection program. The coveror insurance may be available to cover a predetermined period of time oran indefinite period of time so long as certain purchase information isprovided, or it may be always available so long as the copy of the workof authorship is returned with the claim for remuneration orreplacement. In essence this business method would be a damage and/orloss insurance for the copy of the work of authorship. This could be,for example, scratch insurance for CDs or DVDs, erasure insurance forVideos or cassettes, and warping insurance for LPs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a system for reproducing a work of authorship according toa first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a method for reproducing a work of authorship according tothe first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a system for reproducing a work of authorship according toa second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a method for reproducing a work of authorship according tothe second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a system for reproducing a work of authorship according toa third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a method for reproducing a work of authorship according tothe third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A first embodiment according to the present invention is shown in FIG.1, which depicts a compact disc (CD) reproduction system where a work ofauthorship is reproduced on the same medium. The system includes acentral processing unit 1 that controls the formatting and copying of awork of authorship from an original medium 2 to a new medium 3. Thecentral processing unit 1 is coupled to a digital data reading drive 4,for example, a CD drive, that reads information stored on the originalmedium 2 on which the work of authorship is stored, for example a CD.The information stored on the original medium 2 may include or uponpurchase be modified to include the date and location of purchase,vendor information, purchase price, artist and writer information, albumname, song list, publishing information, purchaser information, etc. Thecentral processing unit 1 is also coupled to a digital data writingdrive 6, for example, a CD-RW drive, and it controls the copying of thework of authorship from the digital data reading drive 4 to the digitaldata writing drive 6. Alternatively or additionally, the system mayinclude a memory 7 for storing or buffering the digital data comprisingthe work of authorship during and/or prior to reproduction of the workof authorship by copying from the original medium 2 located in thedigital data reading drive 4 to the new medium 3 located in the digitaldata writing drive 6. The memory 7 may also store the information readfrom the original medium 2.

In this first embodiment according to the present invention the work ofauthorship is reproduced on the same media type as the original medium2, a CD. Along with the work of authorship, additional information maybe transferred to the new medium 3, including all of the informationincluded on the original medium 2. Additionally, new information may beadded to the new medium 3, including information relating to the date ofreproduction, price paid, customer information, vendor information,quality of original medium 2, status of original medium 2, etc., using adata input device 5, such as, for example, a keyboard, scanner, bar codereader, smart card reader, biometric device, or any other device forentering information about a transaction or customer.

The system also includes a media destruction device 8 or an accessblocking device 10 which prevents use of the original medium 2 uponreproduction of the work of authorship on the new medium 3 by destroyingthe original medium 2 or blocking access to the work of authorshipcontained on the original medium 2.

The system may also include a printer 12 or labeler 14, coupled to thecentral processing unit 1, for imprinting the new medium 3 with, orcreating labels to be attached to the new medium 3 that include,information relating to the work of authorship. This information mayinclude artist and writer information, album and song information,publisher information, etc. The printer 12 may also print inserts, whichmay include information relating to the work of authorship, to beincluded in a storage case 16 dispensed with, and which is used tostore, the new medium 3.

The system may include a database 18 that stores information relating toeach transaction, i.e., reproduction of a work of authorship, includingcustomer information, work of authorship information, location andtemporal information, etc., and/or may transmit such information to alocal or remote location 20 or depository 22 (as close as a differentadjacent computer or room, or even a different memory device located inthe same black-box or a different section of the same memory device).

The method according to the first embodiment of the present invention isshown in the flow diagram of FIG. 2. In step 50, the customer places theoriginal medium 2, a CD, in the digital data reading device 4. In step52, the information is read from the original medium 2, and in step 54,is stored in the memory 7. In step 56, the information from the originalmedium 2 is checked to determine the nature of the work of authorship.The information stored on the original medium 2 may also be checked forauthenticity, for date of purchase, purchaser information or forpurposes of verification. For example, the system may only be operablefor the original purchaser of that embodiment of the work of authorship.Alternatively or additionally, the system may only be operable where thepurchase price is greater than a predetermined amount or thereproduction fee may vary depending upon the original purchase price.

Alternatively or additionally, the system may include a step requiringthe customer to view information or respond to queries, or may collectinformation from the customer during the reproduction process inexchange for the right to reproduce the work of authorship or for areduction in or elimination of the cost for reproduction of the work ofauthorship. The information stored in memory 7 and/or the collectedinformation or data regarding the viewed information or responses to thequeries may be transferred to the local or remote location 20 ordepository 22 immediately or stored for a later transfer. Theinformation stored in memory 7 and/or the collected information may alsobe provided to the owner of the work of authorship or the owner of therights to the work of authorship in exchange for the right to reproducethe work of authorship.

The system may include an additional step of collection of a fee fromthe customer either before, during or after the reproduction process.The fee may be collected in cash, electronically, using a credit ordebit card, or some other method of payment.

Upon verification of the information on the original medium 2, in step58, the system copies the work of authorship from the original medium 2to the new medium 3 located in the digital data writing device 6. Instep 60, the original medium 2 is transferred to the media destructiondevice 8 or the access blocking device 10, where the original medium 2is destroyed or access to the work of authorship on the original medium2 is blocked. The destruction may be accomplished by breaking, crushing,scratching, melting, burning, sanding, pitting, cracking or any othermethod of destruction. Blocking access to the work of authorship may beaccomplished by retaining the original medium or sealing the originalmedium in an impenetrable medium or in a medium the removal of whichwould cause the destruction of or damage to the original medium 2, or byencrypting the data on the original medium 2 or by overlaying orinserting a password protection mechanism into the original medium 2.

In step 62, the system transfers the new medium 3 to a printer 12 wherethe information stored in memory 7, i.e., regarding the work ofauthorship, including artist, writer, album, publisher and songinformation, is imprinted onto the new medium 3. An insert including thesame and/or additional information may also be printed by the printer 12and placed into a storage case 16. In step 64, the new medium 3 isinserted into the storage case 16 and dispensed to the customer.

A second embodiment according to the present invention is shown in FIG.3, which depicts a phonorecord to compact disc (CD) reproduction systemwhere the original work of authorship is reproduced on a differentmedium. The numbering for the similar components will remain the same.The system includes a central processing unit 1 that controls theformatting and copying of a work of authorship from an original medium80 to a new medium 3. The central processing unit 1 is coupled to ananalog reading device 82, for example, a phonograph, that reads the datastored on the original medium 80 on which the work of authorship isstored, for example an LP. The central processing unit 1 is also coupledto a digital data writing drive 6, for example, a CD-RW drive, and itcontrols the copying of the work of authorship from the original medium80 using the analog reading device 82 to the new medium 3 using thedigital data writing drive 6. An analog to digital converter 84 iscoupled to the analog reading device 82, the digital data writing drive6 and the central processing unit 1, and is used to convert the analogdata from the original medium 80 to digital data to be stored on the newmedium 3. The data read from the original medium 80 may be analyzed toidentify the work of authorship and/or to determine whether it is anauthentic copy of the work of authorship or for other verificationpurposes. The system, using text recognition software, may also read theinformation contained on the label of the original medium 80 (forpurposes of verification), covert it into digital data and store thatinformation as digital data in a memory 7. Such information may includeartist and writer information, album name, song list, publishinginformation, etc. Alternatively or additionally, the system may store orbuffer the digital data comprising the work of authorship in memory 7during and/or prior to reproduction of the work of authorship by copyingfrom the original medium 80 located in the analog data reading device 82to the new medium 3 located in the digital data writing drive 6. Thememory 7 may also store the information read from the original medium80.

In this second embodiment according to the present invention the work ofauthorship is reproduced on a different media type than the originalmedium 80. Along with the work of authorship, additional information maybe transferred to the new medium 3, including all of the informationincluded on the label of the original medium 80, after it is convertedinto digital data. Additionally, new information may be added to the newmedium 3, including information relating to the date of reproduction,price paid, customer information, vendor information, quality oforiginal medium 80, status of original medium 80, etc.

The system also includes a media destruction device 8 or accessprevention device 86 which prevents use of the original medium 80 uponreproduction of the work of authorship on the new medium 3 by destroyingthe original medium 80 or preventing access to the work of authorshipcontained on the original medium 80.

The system may also include a printer 12 or labeler 14, coupled to thecentral processing unit 1, for imprinting the new medium 3 with, orcreating labels to be attached to the new medium 3 that include,information relating to the work of authorship. This information mayinclude artist and writer information, album and song information,publisher information, etc. The printer 12 may also print inserts, whichmay include information relating to the work of authorship, to beincluded in a storage case 16 dispensed with, and which is used tostore, the new medium 3.

The system may include a database 18 that stores information relating toeach transaction, i.e., reproduction of a work of authorship, includingcustomer information, work of authorship information, location andtemporal information, etc., and/or may transmit such information to alocal or remote location 20 or depository 22 (as close as a differentadjacent computer or room, or even a different memory device located inthe same black-box or a different section of the same memory device).

The method according to the second embodiment of the present inventionis shown in the flow diagram of FIG. 4. In step 100, the customer placesthe original medium 80, an LP, in the analog data reading device 82. Instep 102, the data is read from the original medium 80, in step 104, theanalog data is converted from analog to digital, and in step 105, thedigital data is stored in the memory 7. In step 106, the data from theoriginal medium 80 is checked to determine the nature of the work ofauthorship. The information included on the label of the original medium80 may also be read using text recognition software and analyzed forpurposes of identification of the work of authorship, and verifyinginformation relating to the work of authorship. For example, the systemmay only be operable for embodiments originating from the U.S., or onlyfrom particular sources.

Alternatively or additionally, the system may include a step requiringthe customer to view information or respond to queries, or may collectinformation from the customer during the reproduction process inexchange for the right to reproduce the work of authorship or for areduction in or elimination of the cost for reproduction of the work ofauthorship. The information stored in memory 7 and/or the collectedinformation or data regarding the viewed information or responses to thequeries may be transferred to the local or remote location 20 ordepository 22 immediately or stored for a later transfer. Theinformation stored in memory 7 and/or the collected information may alsobe provided to the owner of the work of authorship or the owner of therights to the work of authorship in exchange for the right to reproducethe work of authorship.

The system may include an additional step of collection of a fee fromthe customer either before, during or after the reproduction process.The fee may be collected in cash, electronically, using a credit ordebit card, or some other method of payment.

Upon verification of the data or textual information on the originalmedium 80, in step 108, the system copies the work of authorship fromthe original medium 80 stored in memory 7 as digital data to the newmedium 3 located in the digital data writing device 6. In step 110, theoriginal medium 80 is transferred to the media destruction device 8 orthe access blocking device 10, where the original medium 80 is destroyedor access to the work of authorship on the original medium 80 isblocked. The destruction may be accomplished by breaking, crushing,scratching, melting, burning, sanding, pitting, cracking or any othermethod of destruction. Blocking access to the work of authorship may beaccomplished by retaining the original medium 80 or scaling the originalmedium 80 in an impenetrable medium or in a medium the removal of whichwould cause the destruction of or damage to the original medium 80.

In step 112, the system transfers the new medium 3 to a printer 12 wherethe information stored in memory 7, i.e., regarding the work ofauthorship, including artist, writer, album, publisher and songinformation, is imprinted onto the new medium 3. An insert including thesame and/or additional information may also be printed by the printer 12and placed into a storage case 16. In step 114, the new medium 3 isinserted into the storage case 16 and dispensed to the customer.

A third embodiment according to the present invention is shown in FIG.5, which depicts a first medium to a second medium reproduction systemwhere the original work of authorship is reproduced on either the sameor a different medium. The numbering for the similar components willremain the same. The system includes a central processing unit 1 thatcontrols the formatting and copying of a work of authorship from anoriginal medium 130 to a new medium 132. The central processing unit 1is coupled to a data reading device 134, for example, a phonograph or CDdrive, that reads the data and information stored on the original medium130 on which the work of authorship is stored, for example an LP or CD.The information stored on the original medium 130 may include or uponpurchase be modified′ to include the date and location of purchase,vendor information, purchase price, artist and writer information, albumname, song list, publishing information, purchaser information, etc. Ananalog to digital converter 84 may be coupled to the data reading device134, and the central processing unit 1, and is used when the originalmedium is of an analog format to convert the analog data from theoriginal medium 130 to digital data for purposes of identificationand/or verification. The data read from the original medium 130 may beanalyzed to identify the work of authorship and/or to determine whetherit is an authentic copy of the work of authorship or for otherverification purposes. Where the original medium 130 is analog, thesystem, using text recognition software, may also read the informationcontained on the label of the original medium 130 (for purposes ofverification), covert it into digital data and store that information asdigital data in a memory 7. Such information may include artist andwriter information, album name, song list, publishing information, etc.Additionally, information from the original medium 130 in digital formatmay be stored in memory 7.

The central processing unit is also coupled to a local or remotedatabase 140 or memory 142 which may contain a full or partial catalogof works of authorship, including, for example, musical, film, literary,photographic, pictorial, graphical, artistic, and multimedia works, indigital or other format. The local or remote database 140 or memory 142and the central processing unit 1 are also coupled to a digital datawriting drive 6, for example, a CD-RW drive, and it controls the copyingof the work of authorship from the local or remote database 140 ormemory 142, upon identification and/or verification of the work ofauthorship based on the information stored on the original medium 130 orthe information from the label of the original medium 130, to the newmedium 132 using the digital data writing drive 6. Alternatively oradditionally, the system may store or buffer the digital data comprisingthe work of authorship in memory 7 during and/or prior to reproductionof the work of authorship by copying from the local or remote database140 or memory 142 to the memory 7.

In this third embodiment according to the present invention the work ofauthorship is reproduced on either the same or a different media typethan the original medium 130. Along with the work of authorship,additional information may be transferred to the new medium 132,including all of the information included on the original medium 130 orlabel of the original medium 130, after it is converted into digitaldata. This information may be transferred directly from the originalmedium 130 or from the memory 7. Additionally, new information may beadded to the new medium 132, including information relating to the dateof reproduction, price paid, customer information, vendor information,quality of original medium 130, status of original medium 130, etc.

The system also includes a media destruction device 8 or accessprevention device 86 which prevents use of the original medium 130 uponreproduction of the work of authorship on the new medium 132 bydestroying the original medium 130 or preventing access to the work ofauthorship contained on the original medium 130.

The system may also include a printer 12 or labeler 14, coupled to thecentral processing unit 1, for imprinting the new medium 132 with, orcreating labels to be attached to the new medium 132 that include,information relating to the work of authorship. This information mayinclude artist and writer information, album and song information,publisher information, etc. The printer 12 may also print inserts, whichmay include information relating to the work of authorship, to beincluded in a storage case 16 dispensed with, and which is used tostore, the new medium 132.

The system may include a database 18 that stores information relating toeach transaction, i.e., reproduction of a work of authorship, includingcustomer information, work of authorship information, location andtemporal information, etc., and/or may transmit such information to alocal or remote location 20 or depository 22 (as close as a differentadjacent computer or room, or even a different memory device located inthe same black-box or a different section of the same memory device).

The method according to the third embodiment of the present invention isshown in the flow diagram of FIG. 6. In step 150, the customer placesthe original medium 130, a CD or an LP, in the data reading device 134.In step 152, the data is read from the original medium 130, in step 154,the data may be converted from analog to digital, and in step 155, thedigital data is stored in the memory 7. In step 156, the data from theoriginal medium 130 is checked to determine the nature of the work ofauthorship. The information included on the label of the original medium130 may also be read using text recognition software and analyzed forpurposes of identification of the work of authorship, and verifyinginformation relating to the work of authorship. For example, the systemmay only be operable for embodiments originating from the U.S., or onlyfrom particular sources.

Alternatively or additionally, the system may include a step requiringthe customer to view information or respond to queries, or may collectinformation from the customer during the reproduction process inexchange for the right to reproduce the work of authorship or for areduction in or elimination of the cost for reproduction of the work ofauthorship. The information stored in memory 7 and/or the collectedinformation or data regarding the viewed information or responses to thequeries may be transferred to the local or remote database 140 or memory142 immediately or stored for a later transfer. The information storedin memory 7 and/or the collected information may also be provided to theowner of the work of authorship or the owner of the rights to the workof authorship in exchange for the right to reproduce the work ofauthorship.

The system may include an additional step of collection of a fee fromthe customer, either before, during or after the reproduction process.The fee may be collected in cash, electronically, using a credit ordebit card, or some other method of payment.

Upon verification of the data or textual information on the originalmedium 130, in step 158, the system copies the work of authorship fromthe original medium 130 stored in memory 7 as digital data to the newmedium 3 located in the digital data writing device 6. In step 160, theoriginal medium 130 is transferred to the media destruction device 8 orthe access blocking device 10, where the original medium 130 isdestroyed or access to the work of authorship on the original medium 130is blocked. The destruction may be accomplished by breaking, crushing,scratching, melting, burning, sanding, pitting, cracking or any othermethod of destruction. Blocking access to the work of authorship may beaccomplished by retaining the original medium 130 or sealing theoriginal medium 130 in an impenetrable medium or in a medium the removalof which would cause the destruction of or damage to the original medium130.

In step 162, the system transfers the new medium 3 to a printer 12 wherethe information stored in memory 7, i.e., regarding the work ofauthorship, including artist, writer, album, publisher and songinformation, is imprinted onto the new medium 3. An insert including thesame and/or additional information may also be printed by the printer 12and placed into a storage case 16. In step 164, the new medium 3 isinserted into the storage case 16 and dispensed to the customer.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a central processing unit;a database coupled to the central processing unit, the databasecomprising a first set of digital information relating to a copy of awork of authorship, wherein the first set of digital informationcomprises a first digital data representing the work of authorship and asecond digital data representing other than the work of authorship; anda first memory coupled to the central processing unit, wherein thememory includes instructions that cause the central processing unit toreceive a second set of digital information from a second memory, viathe internet, wherein the second set of digital information comprises athird digital data representing other than the work of authorship,analyze the second set of digital information to determine whether thesecond set of digital information corresponds to the first set ofdigital information, identify a correspondence between the second set ofdigital information and the first set of digital information, verify theauthenticity of the copy of the work of authorship based on acorrespondence between the second digital data and the third digitaldata, and upon verification control the transfer, via the internet, ofat least one of a copy of the first set of digital information, a copyof the first digital data, a copy of the second digital data, or afourth digital data to the second memory.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the second memory is at least one of a memory device, a harddrive, a RAM, a PROM, an EEPROM, a SmartMedia card, a compact mediacard, or a flash memory.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memorycomprises a portable device.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein theportable device is a PDA or an MP3 player.
 5. The system of claim 1,further comprising a transmitter for transferring or transmitting atleast one of the copy of the first set of digital information, the copyof the first digital data, the copy of the second digital data, or thefourth digital data to the second memory upon authorization ofreproduction or retention of the work of authorship.
 6. The system ofclaim 5, wherein the transmitter transfers or transmits at least one ofthe copy of the first set of digital information, the copy of the firstdigital data, the copy of the second digital data, or the fourth digitaldata to a memory device, a RAM, a PROM, an EEPROM, a SmartMedia card, acompact media card, a flash memory, a computer, a computer memory, or adatabase.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein the transmitter transfers ortransmits at least one of the copy of the first set of digitalinformation, the copy of the first digital data, the copy of the seconddigital data, or the fourth digital data to a portable device.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the portable device is a PDA or an MP3player.
 9. The system of claim 1, further comprising the centralprocessing unit limiting access to at least one of the copy of the firstset of digital information, the copy of the first digital data, the copyof the second digital data, or the fourth digital data, wherein accessto the copy of the work of authorship is limited by using at least oneof access blocking, password protection, encryption, coding, orretaining control over a storage location of at least one of the copy ofthe first set of digital information, the copy of the first digitaldata, the copy of the second digital data, or the fourth digital data tothe second memory.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second digitaldata comprises at least one of a date and location of purchase, a vendorinformation, a purchase price, an artist information, a writerinformation, an album name, a song list, a publishing information, apurchaser information, an information relating to the date ofreproduction, a price paid, a customer information, a vendorinformation, a quality of the original medium, or a status of theoriginal medium.
 11. A method, comprising: accessing a first set ofdigital information relating to a copy of a work of authorship, whereinthe first set of digital information comprising a first digital datarepresenting the work of authorship and a second digital datarepresenting other than the work of authorship using a centralprocessing unit; receiving at the central processing unit, via theinternet, a second set of digital information from a memory, wherein thesecond set of digital information comprises a third digital datarepresenting other than the work of authorship; analyzing via thecentral processing unit the second set of digital information todetermine whether the second set of digital information corresponds tothe first set of digital information; identifying a correspondencebetween the second set of digital information and the first set ofdigital information using the central processing unit; verifying theauthenticity of the copy of the work of authorship via the centralprocessing unit based on a correspondence between the second digitaldata and the third digital data; and upon verification controlling thetransfer, via the internet, of at least one of a copy of the first setof digital information, a copy of the first digital data, a copy of thesecond digital data, or a fourth digital data to the memory.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the memory is at least one of a memorydevice, a hard drive, a RAM, a PROM, an EEPROM, a SmartMedia card, acompact media card, or a flash memory.
 13. The method of claim 11,wherein the memory is a portable device.
 14. The method of claim 11,further comprising upon authorization transferring at least one of thereproduced work of authorship or the retained copy of the work ofauthorship.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein access to the at leastone of the copy of the first set of digital information, the copy of thefirst digital data, the copy of the second digital data, or the fourthdigital data is limited by using at least one of access blocking,password protection, encryption, coding, or retaining control over astorage location of the at least one of the copy of the first set ofdigital information, the copy of the first digital data, the copy of thesecond digital data, or the fourth digital data.
 16. The system of claim14, wherein at least one of the reproduced work of authorship or theretained copy of the work of authorship is transferred to a portabledevice.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the portable device is anMP3 player or a PDA.
 18. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one ofthe copy of the first set of digital information, the copy of the firstdigital data, the copy of the second digital data, or the fourth digitaldata is transferred to a memory device, a RAM, a PROM, an EEPROM, aSmartMedia card, a compact media card, a flash memory, a computer, acomputer memory, or a database.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein thedetermination as to whether an authorization for transfer of at leastone of the copy of the first set of digital information, the copy of thefirst digital data, the copy of the second digital data, or the fourthdigital data to the memory should be granted is based on a verificationthat the second digital data matches the third digital data.
 20. Themethod of claim 19, wherein reproduction of the work of authorship isallowed on a different medium than the purchased copy of the work ofauthorship.
 21. The method of claim 19, wherein reproduction of the workof authorship is allowed on the same type of medium as the copy of thework of authorship.
 22. The method of claim 11, wherein the seconddigital data comprises at least one of a date and location of purchase,a vendor information, a purchase price, an artist information, a writerinformation, an album name, a song list, a publishing information, apurchaser information, a date of reproduction, a price paid, a customerinformation, a vendor information, a quality of the original medium, anda status of the original medium.
 23. A system, comprising: a server; adatabase; a memory coupled to the server, wherein the memory containsinstructions that cause the server to capture a first digital data,capture a second digital data representing an event involving the firstdigital data, associate the first digital data with the second digitaldata, store a first copy of the second digital data in the database, andstore the first digital data in memory together with a second copy ofthe second digital data, confirm, grant, or deny a right to access thefirst digital data based on a comparison of a third copy of the seconddigital data to at least one of the first copy of the second digitaldata or the second copy of the second digital data, wherein when thethird copy of the second data corresponds to the at least one of thefirst copy of the second digital data or the second copy of the seconddigital data, the server confirms or grants a right of access to thefirst digital data, and wherein when the third copy of the second datadoes not correspond to the at least one of the first copy of the seconddigital data or the second copy of the second digital data, the serverconfirms no, or denies a, right of access to the first digital data.